Heel fob boots and shoes



UNXTE SIMEON DODGE, JR., AND B. POTTER, JR., OF MARBLEHEAD,MASSACHUSETTS.

HEEL FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, SIMEON DODGE, Jr., and BENJ. POTTER, Jr., both o-fMarblehead, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improved Heel for Boots and Shoes, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying-drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a view of our improved heel; Fig. 2, a modification of thesame; Fig. 3, the machine which we employ in its manufacture; Figs. t,5, G and 7, details to be referred to hereafter.

In the manufacture of shoes by hand the heels are formed of successivelayers or rises of leather which are so hammered in the center that therise which lies nearest to the foot shall be concave to fit the form ofthe wearers heel-while the outer rise is flat as required to give asteady tread upon the ground. At other times the inner rise istemporarily secured to the shoe and before the successive rises areadded, a narrow strip of leather called a spur lift is pasted around theedge, this spur lift being chamfered off so as to raise the outer edgeto a level with the center. The succeeding rises are then put on and thewhole are nailed to the shoe.

Our invention has for its object to furnish to the manufacturing trade aheel having a concave seat to suit the form of the heel of the wearerand a fla-t tread, and thus relieve them of the labor of hammering andfitting each heel as it is applied to the boot. And our inventionconsists in a heel having the rises united together by cement and formedby compression in a press having a suitable follower and die to give itthe concave or hollow seat and the flat or level tread.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention we willproceed to describe the manner in which we have carried it out.

The leather is skived to take off the loose fibers upon the flesh side,and is cut into pieces and moistened. The requisite number of rises arethen secured together by some suitable cement and are submitted topressure in the press represented in Fig. 3. The block or die A is madeconvex to give the requisite concave to the seat of the heel, and 1norder to preserve the tread flat a depression f (Fig. 6) is made in thefollower B, of the size to be given to the bottom of the heel and as thepressure is brought upon the leather it is forced into this depression;thev raised portion o, of the follower' pressing down the edges of theleather as at Z), Fig. 4, and causing it to conform to the convexsurface of the block A. A number of pieces of leather of the proper sizewith a thin layer of cement between them are placed in the press as at H(Fig. 3) and are submitted to pressure for about a minute more or lessor while the operator is preparing the material for another heel. It isthen taken out and is found in the form represented in F 4 and 5 with aconcave g and a flat tread m, and the heel is finished (Fig. l) bycutting away the superfluous leather either by hand or by suitablemachinery.

In Fig. 2, is seen a modification of our invention the object being asbefore to produce a heel as an article of trade having a concave seatand a flat tread, in this case the heel is made of leather with theexception of the inner rise which is of wood, the whole being united asbefore with cement and sublnitted to pressure between a block andfolloweiI having flat or level surfaces. Fig. 7 represents the blankthus formed. The heel is then cut out and by a suitable rimxner or otherrevolving cutting tool the concave seat is formed in the wood as seen atL, Fig. 2. Any suitable cement that will dry rapidly may be employedsuch as shellac dissolved in alcohol or a compound of india. rubber oreven glue but we prefer to employ a water proof cement as this excludesmoist-ure from the joints between the leather.

le are thus enabled to furnish to the market a heel of better qualityand less cost than those manufactured by hand as they are applied to theboot.

Our improved heels are secured to the boots in the ordinary manner bynails or pegs and if thought desirable a layer of waterproof cement maybe put between the heel and the boot.

That we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent asa new article of manufacture is- A heel having a' concave seat and aflat Jreal with its rises united by cement asset 'ort i.

WILLIAM FABENS, BENJ. G. HATHAWAY.

